The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-06-12
How the Small Banks of Chicago De-
feated a Pet Scheme of the Big Houses.
Prediction that the Supreme Court Will De-
eide the Telephone Suits Against Bell
Why There Will Be No Extra Session.
PUBLIC DOCUMENTS.

How Some Congressmen Pocket TriHins
Sums of Money by Selling Them.
Special the indianapolis Journal
WASHINGTON. June lI.-Just at this season OF
the year the dealers in government publications
are in the habit OF replenishing their stocks.
as to be prepared to meet the demands which
always follow the election of q new Congress-
There are great many features about this OPP
GRAFTON which would scarcely bear close in
vestigation The distribution of public docu-
ments is carried in the most hap-hazard and
slipshod manner imaginable. There is absolute
ly no system at all about the distribution except
that each and every Senator and Representative
is allotted many copies OF each publication.
AS a natural result the member from BostoS
New York or Philadelphia who has not a single
farmer among his constituency finds that he has
about nine hundred agricultural reports assigned
to his credit. for which he has no possible use,
while the Der from the rural districts has not
half enough to 60 around his district. He will
have. however. full quota of documents relat-
ing to the scientific explorations carried on by
the Coast and Geologic Surveys and he knows
very we'll that the people who depend upon him
for their literature ara in no manner interested
in these works. Occasionally there is an
change effected between members wi.hou@ the
aid of the middle man. who in this case, is the
dealer In pub. docs But it more often happens
that the member has not the time or the incli-
nation to root around among his associates for
the who is anxious. This is the opportunity
for which the dealer is waiting. 1t is the period
between the adjournment Of one Congress and
the assembly of anoth or that the harvest is gath
cred. There many men who find their way
into the halls of Congress who are not averse to
perquisites. These men consider it a legitimate
act to dispose of their books for cash. and not a
few of them do SO constantly. year after year
The clerks in the document rooms of the two
houses could tell some interesting stories of
these transfers of books if they chose to do so,
but it is for their interest to keep quiet, many
of them add quite little to their own salaries
by surreptitious open dealings in this class of
plumber. Within the next month the annual re-
port of the Department of Agriculture will be
ready for delivery. Each member of the
lower house is entitled to abodt 800
copies of this work. An order for
quota can be secured at the present time for
little less than $45. The books not yet issued.
and as the time for their publication approaches
they will increase in value until they reach
about eight cents a volume. This is about the
maximum limit for Wholesale lots The pur-
chasers dispose of them to members from aeri-
cultural districts at about ten cents volume
Members having a great many farmers among
their constituents consider that few hundred
dollars expended IN this manner Is about the
best possible way of investing campaign funds.
1t is natural. therefore. that the reports OF the
Department of Agriculture should always com
mand ready market. Next to these reports,
those issued BY the Bureau of Ethnoloey the
most valuable from a commercial standpoint
The are eagerly sought after by mem ers from
the cities, especially those in whose districts sci
entifc or educational institutions abound. Re-
ports of the Bureau of Ethnology command 50
to So volume. according to their age, the
older being the most valuable. of course
The Rebellion Records also readily salable.
The first three fonr volumes. which are very
scarce. bring from ~ 10 81 each from dealers,
even though they be unbound. The latest
issues, bound in cloth. worth only about %
cents each.
When Congressman dies during his term
his successor often finds that he has very
little show in the book line. If the deceased has
not left instructions to have all the publications
to his credit distributed among his constituents,
it will very likely be found some empioye of the
House has obtained order for all that left,
and long before the successor of tho deceased
takes his seat the secondhand dealer will have
secured his entire quota. This practice has
been carried far that attention has been at
tracted to it, and the result is likely to be the
breaking mp of a practice that has grown to be
a public scandal